VR and Sports, What Does the Future Hold?

In the past few years, the major professional sports leagues have been constantly looking for ways to become more innovative and create a more engaged fan base, whether it be through Social Media initiatives or in-game experiences.

One of the most recent of these innovations, according to SVG News, is the arrival of PlayStation Virtual Reality (PSVR) at the Barclays ATP Tennis Finals last week. The tournament took place at the O2 in London and according to the staff at SVG: “Visitors to the Fan Zone at The O2 will be able to immerse themselves in matches by stepping into unique interactive pods featuring PlayStationVR where they will find themselves in a virtual tennis world.”

And…according to ATP Executive Chairman & President, Chris Kermode: “We look forward to unveiling this pioneering new technology at our season finale at The O2, offering a new and exciting way to experience our sport, as we look to leverage new technologies and engage with the next generation of fans.”

This pioneering effort by the ATP is very important for future sports marketers. The major sports leagues should follow this initiative as it could prove very important for increasing fan engagement. It gives the consumer a whole new perspective on the game and gives them an incentive for coming to the game. This particular strategy is a good one because PSVR was voted one of the top inventions of 2016 by Time Magazine, so it will no doubt become a very popular and recognizable product by consumers. This is yet another reason for marketers to consider utilizing the technology in their live sports events.

Take a look at the video below for more on PlayStation VR from GameSpot’s YouTube page.